While Cam Newton’s return via an incentive-rich year-long contract was the biggest story of the day for the New England Patriots on Friday, they were also busy looking for one of the country’s best potential defenders. The Patriots were among the 30 NFL teams attending Trey Lance’s Pro Day in North Dakota, sending their most experienced scout to attend the session.
Matt Groh, who is entering his 11th season in the club’s scouting department, was promoted to his current role as national scout in 2019. As such, he was now tasked with keeping an eye on Lance – a player who was supposed to impress during the training to further solidify his position as one of the most intriguing defenders in this year’s draft.
A member of the top four in the position alongside Trevor Lawrence (Clemson), Zach Wilson (Brigham Young) and Justin Fields (Ohio), the 20-year-old is due to leave the council at the start of the first round. While the Patriots would probably have to switch the board to be able to select it, its positive side certainly makes such a move a realistic option for a team that is still looking for a long-term solution on the spot.
While Lance is raw and certainly needs some time to develop behind the scenes – something he can achieve in New England with Newton in another year – his combination of physical tools and football IQ make him a natural fit with the organization .
Daniel Jeremiah, chief recruiting analyst for the NFL Network, also pointed this out during a media conference earlier this week.
“I could see Bill Belichick having an affinity and a lot of fun with a guy like Trey Lance,” said Jeremiah. “Trey is going to need some time. The only thing that would stop me is that I don’t know if he will be ready to do that right away. You would have to be patient with him. But when you talk to the people of the state of North Dakota, this kid is incredibly smart, which we know the Patriots have always valued. “
“He can drive fronts, he can do all the things on the line of scrimmage that you need to do. He’s a fantastic athlete and runner. He has an arm of strength that fits the climate of that division at the end of the year. … I just think that all the character stuff I got is off the chart. All of these things are in line with what Belichick traditionally wanted on the team. I think we’re all guessing a little bit in which direction he wants to take the offense. “
However, there are some questions about Lance. Not only does a team expect him to live up to his roof one day, he is also entering the draft with just one year of initial experience under his belt: he completed 67 percent of his pitches for 2,786 yards, 28 touchdowns and not an interception only in 2019, but later deactivated the 2020 season.
Even so, he will hear your name on the first day of this year’s draft. Participating in your Pro Day reflects this.
Nine general managers were present – Ryan Pace (Chicago Bears), George Paton (Denver Broncos), Mike Mayock (Las Vegas Raiders), Joe Douglas (New York Jets), John Schneider (Seattle Seahawks), Scott Fitterer (Carolina Panthers), Rick Spielman (Minnesota Vikings), Terry Fontenot (Atlanta Falcons) and Brad Holmes (Detroit Lions) – as well as coaches Arthur Smith (Falcons), Matt Nagy (Bears), Dan Campbell (Lions) and Matt Rhule (Panthers))